IBT Staff Reporter

Use of the iPod or any other portable electronic device while crossing the street would be illegal if enough fellow lawmakers agree with a New York official.

The first U.S. non-prescription weight loss pill was approved this week by U.S. health officials.

Following a complaint by Toshiba Corp., the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said it would investigate flash memory devices produced by South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor.

SpiralFrog, the firm that hopes to expand the online music market beyond payment-based iTunes and others with its ad-supported music service, signed a pair licensing deals this week in anticipation of a launch early this year.

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM), maker of the Blackberry handheld email device, settled a lawsuit between itself and South Korean electronics maker Samsung this week.

The founders of popular video sharing site YouTube received shares of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) worth nearly $700 million in Google's all-stock $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing this week.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: NYSE) announced this week a new initiative to share a percentage of advertising revenue generated from its games websites with the community of developers who create those games.

Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS), the world's largest video game publisher, announced today that it is adding a new title to its popular Sims series, which is more story-focused than previous releases.

British bus and train operator FirstGroup PLC agreed to buy the parent company of bus firm Greyhound Lines, Inc. in an all cash deal worth $3.6 billion.

Shares of MasterCard Inc. fell almost 10 percent Friday after the company declined to forecast additional profit growth.

Aiming to reduce expenses, six Japanese companies jointly announced a partnership on Thursday to develop a next-generation mobile phone platform.

Gateway Inc. (NYSE: GTW) shares fell almost 10 percent Friday after the personal-computer maker reported a drop in revenue.

Samsung Electronics unveiled a new cell phone on Thursday, with media capabilities and a touch-screen similar to Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone. The unit also contains a full QWERTY-keypad that slides out at its base.

Semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies AG (NYSE: IFX) agreed to provide chips for one of the world's largest contactless payment networks, the firm announced today, entering into a new agreement with MasterCard Inc.

Shares of the first publicly listed U.S. hedge fund soared in early trading Friday, doubling on their opening day.

European mobile phone operator, Vodafone, announced a partnership with Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) YouTube video service today, allowing customers to access videos directly from their mobile phones.

Honda Aircraft Co. said Friday it will build a new manufacturing plant for its first-ever commercial jets and an adjoining headquarters facility in North Carolina.

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) said on Friday that it will acquire the social networking company, Five Across Inc., expanding beyond its core business of selling network routers and switches.

Motorola Inc. (Nasdaq: MOT) said it has renewed its agreement with Freescale Semiconductor Inc. as its preferred supplier of 2G and 3G chipset platforms through 2009.

The executive in charge of Cisco Systems Inc.'s (NASDAQ: CSCO) routing and service provider business resigned from the company to pursue new professional opportunities, the firm said Thursday.

Amid tough market conditions for NOR-type flash, Spansion Inc. (Nasdaq: SPSN) seized the leading market and revenue share positions in 2006 from semiconductor giant, Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC).

The total number of U.S. households with televisions will jump nearly 50 percent by the year 2050, according to new estimates from The Nielsen Company.

The world's No. 3 PC Maker, Lenovo Group Ltd., is expanding its reach into the small and medium-sized business retail market, announcing Thursday that select computer models will be available at over 300 Best Buy for Business stores.

Apple Inc. was removed from the 'convicted buy' list of investment banks Goldman Sachs this morning, as the firm cited 'negative speculation' ahead of the June release of the iPhone.

A strong quarterly report by network equipment maker Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) provided strength in the technology sector Wednesday, and German chipmaker Infineon's (NASDAQ: IFX) deal with Nokia made it one the top tech movers of the day.

The world's largest memory chipmaker, Samsung Electronics Co. has agreed to pay $90 to settle price-fixing lawsuits brought on by 41 states.

Even as Harry Potter author JK Rowling proclaims that saying goodbye to Harry Potter was as hard as she always thought it would be, retailers are preparing to give the boy wizard a record setting send off.

The Pontiac division of General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) launched a new online website that will serve as the virtual car-club for Pontiac owners, taking advantage of Yahoo's social media assets.

Shares of Infineon Technologies AG (Nasdaq: IFX) rose over 11 percent on Wednesday after the German chip maker announced a deal with Nokia.